The present disclosure relates to devices for latching splitboard skis together. A splitboard is a snowboard separable into re-joinable skis.
Snowboarding is a recreational activity where a rider glides down a snow-covered mountain, hill, or slope while standing with their feet attached to a single snow glide board known as a snowboard. The concept is like snow skiing except both feet are attached to a single board.
Snowboard riders or “snowboarders” often share downhill slopes with skiers. Popular downhill slopes are often accessed by ski lifts to take the skier or snowboarder up to the top of the slope. Some snowboarders are interested in accessing downhill slopes in the backcountry away from crowded ski slopes and where the snow is fresh. However, climbing up mountains and slopes with thick fresh soft snow can be challenging.
Splitboards were developed to allow snowboarders access to the backcountry and areas not normally accessible to snowboarders. To climb uphill, or “tour,” the backcountry, in “touring mode,” the splitboard rider separates the splitboard into separate splitboard skis and uses them like cross-country skis. To ride downhill, in “riding mode,” the splitboard rider rejoins the splitboard skis and rides the splitboard as they would an ordinary snowboard.
Boot bindings hold the splitboard rider's boots to the splitboard. In touring mode, one boot binding is attached to each splitboard ski like cross-country skis. In riding mode, the boot bindings are fastened across the splitboard skis and hold the splitboard skis together.
Latching devices placed along the length of the seam between the two splitboard skis help increase torsional stiffness and reduce flexing of the splitboard skis relative to each other. Latching devices positioned near the forward tip, or nose, and rearward tip, or tail, prevent the splitboard from separating at these points. Latching devices take various forms such as buckles or hook clips. These latching devices go by various names in the splitboard trade, depending on their structure and placement; for example, splitboard clips, tip and tail clips, splitboard hooks, and split hooks.